Jess and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
by Mask of Secrets
Summary: Jessica and Harry Potter are very odd thriteen year olds that live at #4 Privit Drive. They're wizards. Now in their third year at Hogwarts School they find out about the mass murder Seirus Black. They do what anyone would do, along side with Ron and Hermione... THEY GO LOOKING FOR TROUBLE! Maybe even if they don't try to...
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

OWL POST

Jessica often called Jess and her brother Harry Potter were highly unusual twins in many ways. For one thing, they both hated the summer holidays more than any other time of year. For another, they really wanted to do their homework but was forced to do it in secret, in the dead of night. And they also happened to be wizards. It was nearly midnight, and Harry and Jess was lying on their stomachs in Harry's bed, the blankets drawn right over their heads like a tent, a flashlight in one of Harry's hand and a large leather-bound book (A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot) propped open against the pillow. Now Jess had her own bed across the room from Harry's but Harry's was bigger so they always used his bed for homework. Jess moved the tip of her eagle-feather quill down the page, frowning as she looked for something that would help her write his essay, "Witch Burning in the Fourteenth Century Was Completely Pointless discuss" The quill paused at the top of a likely-looking paragraph. Harry pushed his round glasses up the bridge of his nose, moved his flashlight closer to the book, and read aloud in a soft whisper to his twin sister: "Non-magic people (more commonly known as Muggles) were particularly afraid of magic in medieval times, but not very good at recognizing it. On the rare occasion that they did catch a real witch or wizard, burning had no effect whatsoever. The witch or wizard would perform a basic Flame Freezing Charm and then pretend to shriek with pain while enjoying a gentle, tickling sensation. Indeed, Wendelin the Weird enjoyed being burned so much that she allowed herself to be caught no less than forty-seven times in various disguises" Harry looked over at his sister. Jess had long night black hair and almond green eyes to match her brothers. She wore glasses and on her forhead was a moon shaped scar. Jess put her quill between her teeth and reached underneath her brother's pillow for his ink bottle and a roll of parchment. The thing was that Harry was the only one who had parchment and ink left because Jess was so thourow in her homework. Slowly and very carefully Jess let her brother unscrew the ink bottle and hand it to his twin. She dipped her quill into it, and began to write, pausing every now and then to listen, because if any of the Dursleys heard the scratching of the quill on their way to the bathroom, they'd probably find themselves locked in the cupboard under the stairs for the rest of the summer. The Dursley family of number four, Privet Drive, was the reason that Harry and Jess never enjoyed his summer holidays. Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and their son, Dudley, were Harry's and Jess's only living relatives. They were Muggles, and they had a very medieval attitude toward magic. Harry's and Jess's dead parents, who had been a witch and wizard themselves, were never mentioned under the Dursleys' roof for years, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had hoped that if they kept Harry and Jess as down trodden as possible, they would be able to squash the magic out of them. To their fury, they had been unsuccessful. These days they lived interior of anyone finding out that Harry and Jess had spent most of the last two years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The most they could do, however, was to lock away Harry's and Jess's spellbooks, wands, cauldrons, and broomsticks at the start of the summer break, and forbid them to talk to the neighbors. For Jess, this was totally unfair and made her unbeilivalby angry. For Harry, this separation from his spellbooks had been a real problem for him, because his teachers at Hogwarts had given him a lot of holiday work. One of the essays, a particularly nasty one about shrinking potions, was for Harry's least favorite teacher, Professor Snape, who would be delighted to have an excuse to give Harry detention for a month. Severus Snape was one of Jess's least favorite teach as well but she always kept her lips tightly sealed about that greasy haired man. Harry and Jess had therefore seized their chance in the first week of the holidays. While Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley had gone out into the front garden to admire Uncle Vernon's new company car (in very loud voices, so that the rest of the street would notice it too), Harry and Jess had crept downstairs, picked the lock on the cupboard under the stairs, grabbed some of their books, and hidden them in their bedroom. As long as neither of them didn't leave spots of ink on the sheets, the Dursleys need never know that they was studying magic by night. Harry and Jess was particularly keen to avoid trouble with their aunt and uncle at the moment, as they were already in an especially bad mood with them, all because Jess and Harry had received a telephone call from a fellow wizard one week into the school vacation. Ron Weasley, who was one of Harry's and Jess's best friends at Hogwarts, came from a whole family of wizards. This meant that he knew a lot of things Harry and Jess didn't, but had never used a telephone before. Most unluckily, it had been Uncle Vernon who had answered the call. "Vernon Dursley speaking" Harry and Jess, who happened to be in the room at the time, froze as they both heard Ron's voice answer. "HELLO? HELLO? CAN YOU HEAR ME? I-WANT-TO-TALK-TO-HARRY—AND—JESS-POTTER!" Ron was yelling so loudly that Uncle Vernon jumped and held the receiver a foot away from his ear, staring at it with an expression of mingled fury and alarm. "WHO IS THIS?" he roared in the direction of the mouthpiece. "WHO ARE YOU?" "RON-WEASLEY!" Ron bellowed back, as though he and Uncle Vernon were speaking from opposite ends of a football field. "I'M-A-FRIEND-OF-HARRY'S AND JESS'S-FROM—SCHOOL!" Uncle Vernon's small eyes swiveled around to Harry and Jess, who was rooted to the spot. "THERE IS NO HARRY AND JESS POTTER HERE!" he roared, now holding the receiver at arm's length, as though frightened it might explode. "I DON'T KNOW WHAT SCHOOL YOURE TALKING ABOUT! NEVER CONTACT ME AGAIN! DON'T YOU COME NEAR MY FAMILY!" And he threw the receiver back onto the telephone as if dropping a poisonous spider. The fight that had followed had been one of the worst ever. "HOW DARE YOU GIVE THIS NUMBER TO PEOPLE LIKE-PEOPLE LIKE YOU!" Uncle Vernon had roared, spraying Harry with spit. "People like _us_? Uncle Vernon! I am sick and tired of you talking about us in that type of way!" Jess said coldly. Ron obviously realized that he'd gotten Harry and Jess into trouble, because he hadn't called again. Harry's and Jess's other best friend from Hogwarts, Hermione Granger, hadn't been in touch either. Harry suspected that Ron had warned Hermione not to call, which was a pity, because Hermione, the cleverest witch in Harry's and Jess's year, had Muggle parents, knew perfectly well how to use a telephone, and would probably have had enough sense not to say that she went to Hogwarts. So Harry and Jess had had no word from any of their wizarding friends for five long weeks, and this summer was turning out to be almost as bad as the last one. There was just one very small improvement—after swearing that Harry wouldn't use her to send letters to any of his friends, Harry had been allowed to let his owl, Hedwig, out at night. Uncle Vernon had given in because of the racket Hedwig made if she was locked in her cage all the time. Jess's owl, Haily had been let out too. Jess finished writing about Wendelin the Weird and paused to listen again. The silence in the dark house was broken only by the distant, grunting snores of their enormous cousin, Dudley. It must be very late, Jess thought. Her eyes were itching with tiredness. Perhaps she'd finish this essay tomorrow night... "Harry" she hissed quietly, "Time to go to bed. We'll finish tomorrow" Harry replaced the top of the ink bottle; pulled an old pillowcase from under his bed; put the flashlight, A History of Magic, Jess's essay, quill, and ink inside it; got out of bed; and hid the lot under a loose floorboard under his bed. Then he stood up, stretched, and checked the time on the luminous alarm clock on his bedside table. It was one o'clock in the morning. Jess got out of Harry's bed and walked over to her own bed before sitting down on it and resting her head on the pillow. Harry's stomach gave a funny jolt. He and Jess had been thirteen years old, without realizing it, for a whole hour. Yet another unusual thing about Harry and Jess was how little they looked forward to their birthdays. They had never received a birthday card in their lives. The Dursleys had completely ignored his and Jess's last two birthdays, and he had no reason to suppose they would remember this one. Harry walked across the dark room, past Hedwig's large, empty cage, to Jess's bed. She had already fallen asleep and Harry could see her chest slowly rising and falling peacefully. Giving his twin a little shake Jess opened her eyes. She focused in on Harry. "Whatisit?" she asked her words slurring terribly together. "We're thirteen, we have been for on hour" he said to her. Jess grinned broadly. "Thirteen" she said a slight awe in her voice, "When I was eight I never thought I would make it past ten" Harry gave a soft laugh then paused to listen for any of the Durslys coming. Nothing. Jess slipped out of her bed and walked with Harry to the window. Harry and Jess leaned on the sill, the cool night air pleasant on Jess's face after a long time under the blankets. Hedwig and Haily had been absent for two nights now. Harry nor Jess was worried about them: they'd been gone this long before. But Harry hoped they'd be back soon-they were the only living creatures in this house that didn't flinch at the sight of the twins. Harry, though still rather small and skinny for his age, had grown a few inches over the last year. His jet-black hair, however, was just as it always had been-stubbornly untidy, whatever he did to it. The eyes behind his glasses were bright green, and on his forehead, clearly visible through his hair, was a thin scar, shaped like a bolt of lightning. He looked so similar to Jess, which it made his head hurt about his mum and dad who had been killed. Of all the unusual things about Harry, this scar was the most extraordinary of all. It was not, as the Dursleys had pretended for ten years, a souvenir of the car crash that had killed Harry's and Jess's parents, because Lily and James Potter had not died in a car crash. They had been murdered, murdered by the most feared Dark wizard for a hundred years, Lord Voldemort. Harry and Jess had escaped from the same attack with nothing more than a scar on their foreheads, where Voldemort's curse, instead of killing the twins, had rebounded upon its originator. Barely alive, Voldemort had fled... But Harry and Jess had come face-to-face with him at Hogwarts. Remembering their last meeting as he stood at the dark window next to Jess, Harry had to admit he and Jess had been extraordinarily lucky even to have reached their thirteenth birthday. Harry scanned the starry sky for a sign of Hedwig, perhaps soaring back to them with a dead mouse dangling from her beak, expecting praise. Or Haily the tawny owl flying into the window with a letter from Ron or Hermione. Jess itched for some sign that she and Harry weren't the only wizard and witch in the whole world. Gazing absently over the rooftops, it was a few seconds before Jess realized what she was seeing. Silhouetted against the golden moon, and growing larger every moment, was a large, strangely lop-sided creature, and it was flapping in Harry's and Jess's direction. They stood quite still, watching it sink lower and lower. For a split second they hesitated, Harry's hand on the window latch, wondering whether to slam it shut. But then the bizarre creature soared over one of the street lamps of Privet Drive, and Harry and Jess, realizing what it was, leapt aside. Through the window soared three owls, two of them holding up the third, which appeared to be un-conscious. They landed with a soft flump on Jess's small bed, and the middle owl, which was large and gray, keeled right over and lay motionless. There was a large package tied to its legs. Jess recognized the unconscious owl at once—his name was Errol, and he belonged to the Weasley family. Harry dashed to the bed, Jess right behind him not paying any heed to noise anymore. Harry untied the cords around Errol's legs, took off the parcel, and then carried Errol to Hedwig's cage. Errol opened one bleary eye, gave a feeble hoot of thanks, and began to gulp some water. Harry turned back to the remaining owls. He stood next to Jess looking down at the owls. One of them, the large snowy female, was Harry's own Hedwig. She, too, was carrying a parcel and looked extremely pleased with herself. She gave Harry an affectionate nip with her beak as he removed her burden, and then flew across the room to join Errol. Harry didn't recognize the third owl at frost then realized it was Haily. She looked different in the night he realized. Then but he knew at once where Haily had come from, because in addition to a third package, it was carrying a letter bearing the Hogwarts crest. McGonagall had found Haily. Good. When Harry relieved Haily of her burden, she ruffled her feathers importantly, stretched her wings, and took off through the window into the night. "Probably hasn't eaten yet" Jess whispered to Harry suddenly aware that Uncle Vernon might hear them. Harry seemed to have realized this to because he began to move more carefully. Harry sat down on Jess's bed and grabbed Errol's package, ripped off the brown paper, and discovered a present wrapped in gold, and his and Jess's first ever birthday card. Fingers trembling slightly, Jess opened the envelope. Two pieces of paper fell out-a letter and a newspaper clipping. The clipping had clearly come out of the wizarding newspaper, the Daily Prophet, because the people in the black-and-white picture were moving. Harry picked up the clipping, smoothed it out, and read:

MINISTRY OF MAGIC EMPLOYEE SCOOPS GRAND PRIZE

_Arthur Weasley, Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office at the Ministry of Magic, has won the annual Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw. A delighted Mr. Weasley told the Daily Prophet, "We will be spending the gold on a summer holiday in Egypt, where our eldest son, Bill, works as a curse breaker for Gringotts Wizarding Bank "The Weasley family will be spending a month in Egypt, returning for the start of the new school year at Hogwarts, which five of the Weasley children currently attend_.

Harry and Jess scanned the moving photograph, and a grin spread across their faces as they both saw all nine of the Weasleys waving furiously at him, standing in front of a large pyramid. Plump little Mrs. Weasley; tail, balding Mr. Weasley; six sons; and one daughter, all (though the black-and-white picture didn't show it)with flaming-red hair. Right in the middle of the picture was Ron, tall and gangling, with his pet rat, Scabbers, on his shoulder and his arm around his little sister, Ginny. Harry couldn't think of anyone who deserved to win a large pile of gold more than the Weasleys, who were very nice and extremely poor. Harry looked at Jess who smiled at him. Then Jess picked up Ron's letter and unfolded it. she read softly aloud:

_Dear Harry and Jess,_

_Happy birthday! Look, I' really sorry about that telephone call. I hope the Muggles didn't give you a hard time. I asked Dad, and he reckons I shouldn't have shouted. It's amazing here in Egypt. Bill's taken us around all the tombs and you wouldn't believe the curses those old Egyptian wizards put on them. Mum wouldn't let Ginny come in the last one. There were all these mutant skeletons in there, of Muggles who'd broken in and grown extra heads and stuff. I couldn't believe it when Dad won the Daily Prophet Draw. Seven hundred galleons! Most of its gone on this trip, but they're going to buy me a new wand for next year._

Harry remembered only too well the occasion when Ron's old wand had snapped. It had happened when the car the three of them (Harry, Jess, and Ron) had been flying to Hogwarts had crashed into a tree on the school grounds.

_We'll be back about a week before term starts and we'll be going up to London to get my wand andour new books. Any chance of meeting you there? Don't let the Muggles get you down! Try and come to London, Ron P. S. Percy's Head Boy. He got the letter last wee_k.

Jess finished reading the letter to Harry. He glanced back at the photograph. Percy, who was in his seventh and final year at Hogwarts, was looking particularly smug. He had pinned his Head Boy badge to the fez perched jauntily on top of his neat hair, his horn-rimmed glasses flashing in the Egyptian sun. Jess and Harry both now turned to the present and unwrapped it together. Inside was what looked like a miniature glass spinning top. There was another note from Ron beneath it. Jess took this one up and read it in a whisper.

_Harry-this is a Pocket Sneakoscope. If there's someone untrustworthy around, it's supposed to lightup and spin. Bill says it's rubbish sold for wizard tourists and isn't reliable, because it kept lighting up at dinner last night. But he didn't realize Fred and George had put beetles in his soup. Bye –Ron_

Harry put the Pocket Sneakoscope on the small table near the window so Harry and Jess could both keep an eye on it. It stood quite still, balanced on its point, reflecting the luminous hands of his clock. He and Jess looked at it happily for a few seconds, Harry then picked up the parcel Hedwig had brought. Inside this, too, there was a wrapped present, a card, and a letter, this time from Hermione. Once again Jess plucked up the letter and began to read it softly to her brother:

_Dear Harry and Jess, _

_Ron wrote to me and told me about his phone call to your Uncle Vernon. I do hope you're all right. I'm on holiday in France at the moment and I didn't know how I was going to send this to you—what if they'd opened it at customs?-but then Hedwig turned up! I think she wanted to make sure you got something for your guy's birthday for a change. I bought your present by owl-order; there was an advertisement in the Daily Prophet (I've been getting it delivered; it's so good to keep up with what's going on in the wizarding world), Did you see that picture of Ron and his family a week ago? I bet he's learning loads. I'm really jealous-the ancient Egyptian wizards were fascinating. There's some interesting local history of witchcraft here, too. I've rewritten my whole History of Magic essay to include some of the things I've found out, I hope it's not too long-it's two rolls of parchment more than Professor Binns asked for. Ron says he's going to be in London in the last week of the holidays. Can you make it? Will your aunt and uncle let you come? I really hope you can. If not, I'll see you on the Hogwarts Express on September first! _

_Love from Hermione_

_P. S. Ron says Percy's Head Boy. I'll bet Percy's really pleased Ron doesn't seem too happy about it! _

Harry laughed as Jess put Hermione's letter aside and picked up the present. It was very heavy. Knowing Hermione, Harry was sure it would be a large book full of very difficult spells-but it wasn't. His heart gave a huge bound as he and Jess ripped back the paper and saw a sleek black leather case, with silver words stamped across it, reading _Broomstick Servicing Kit_. "Wow, Hermione!" Jess whispered, unzipping the case to look inside. There was a large jar of Fleetwood's High-Finish Handle Polish, a pair of gleaming silver Tall-Twig Clippers, a tiny brass compass to clip on your broom for long journeys, and a Handbook of Do-It-Yourself Broom care. Apart from his friends, the thing that Harry missed most about Hogwarts was Quidditch, the most popular sport in the magical world-highly dangerous, very exciting, and played on broomsticks. Harry happened to be a very good Quidditch player; he had been the youngest person in a century to be picked for one of the Hogwarts House teams. One of Harry's most prized possessions was his Nimbus Two Thousand racing broom. Jess also had a Nimbus Two Thousand and played seeker and the Quidditch team. Harry played seeker when Jess wouldn't play but also played Keeper most of the time. Harry and Jess put the leather case aside and Harry picked up his last parcel. He recognized the untidy scrawl on the brown paper at once: this was from Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper. Jess tore off the top layer of paper before Harry could stop her and glimpsed something green and leathery, but before he could unwrap it properly, the parcel gave a strange quiver, and whatever was inside it snapped loudly-as though it had jaws. Harry and Jess both froze. They both knew very well that Hagrid would never send them anything dangerous on purpose, but then, Hagrid didn't have a normal person's view of what was dangerous. Hagrid had been known to befriend giant spiders, buy vicious three-headed dogs from men in pubs, and sneak illegal dragon eggs into his cabin. Harry poked the parcel nervously. It snapped loudly again. Jess reached for the lamp on her bedside table, gripped it firmly in one hand, and raised it over her head, ready to strike. Then Harry seized the rest of the wrapping paper in his hand and pulled. And out fell-a book. Harry just had time to register its handsome green cover, emblazoned with the golden title The Monster Book of Monsters, before it flipped onto its edge and scuttled sideways along the bed like some weird crab. "Uh-oh, " Jess muttered. The book toppled off the bed with a loud clunk and shuffled rapidly across the room. Harry and Jess followed it stealthily. The book was hiding in the dark space under the table-like desk near the window on which the sneakascope rested. Praying that the Dursleys were still fast asleep, Harry and Jess got down on their hands and knees and reached toward it in unison. "Ouch!" The book snapped shut on Jess's hand and then flapped past her and her brother, still scuttling on its covers. Harry scrambled around, threw himself forward, and managed to flatten it. Jess held her hand tightly her face tight in a grimace of pain. Uncle Vernon gave a loud, sleepy grunt in the room next door. Hedwig and Errol watched interestedly as Harry clamped the struggling book tightly in his arms, hurried to his chest of drawers, and pulled out a belt, which he buckled tightly around it. The Monster Book shuddered angrily, but could no longer flap and snap, so Harry threw it down on the bed and reached for Hagrid's card. Jess grabbed it first and began to read aloud for Harry to read_: _

_Dear Harry and Jess, _

_Happy Birthday! Think you might find this useful for next year. Won't say no more here. Tell you when I see you. Hope the Muggles are treating you right. All the best, _

_Hagrid_

This struck Harry and Jess as ominous that Hagrid thought a biting book would come in useful, but Jess put Hagrid's card up next to Ron's and Hermione's, grinning more broadly than ever. Harry squezzed his sister around the shoulders in a brotherly fashion. Now there was only the letter from Hogwarts left. Noticing that it was rather thicker than usual, Jess slit open the envelope, pulled out the first page of parchment within, Jess read it aloud and it read:

_Dear Mr. and Ms. Potter,_

_Please note that the new school year will begin on September the first. The Hogwarts Express will leave ftom King's Cross station, platform nine and three-quarters, at eleven o'clock. Third years are permitted to visit the village of Hogsmeade on certain weekends. Please give the enclosed permission form to your parent or guardian to sign. A list of books for next year is enclosed. Yours sincerely,_

_Professor M. McGonagall Deputy Headmistress_

Harry pulled out the Hogsmeade permission form and looked at it as Jess set the letter aside, no longer grinning. It would be wonderful to visit Hogsmeade on weekends; they both knew it was an entirely wizarding village, and they had never set foot there. But how on earth was Harry or Jess for that matter going to persuade Uncle Vernon or Aunt Petunia to sign the form? Harry looked over at the alarm clock. It was now two o'clock in the morning. Deciding that they'd worry about the Hogsmeade form when they woke up and were fully awake, Harry got up and walked over to his bed where his climbed back into it. Jess reached up to cross off another day on the chart she'd made for herself, counting down the days left until their return to Hogwarts. Then she took off her glasses and lay down, eyes open, facing her three birthday cards. Extremely unusual though she was, at that moment Jess Potter felt just like everyone else-glad, for the first time in her life, that it was her birthday.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

AUNT MARGE'S BIG MISTAKE

Jess slept soundly that night but awoke exactly at seven O'clock. It was her first day being thirteen. She lay in bed pondering a conversation she and Harry had had that summer. It had started as being frustrated that Dumbledore had been ignoring them for the last few months and they wouldn't talk to their friends or even send letters. Jess had been writing a letter in hopes to sneak it onto Haily's leg to give to Hermione and Harry had been writing one to Ron even though it was hopeless. Jess had quite a lot or so she liked to think so. Her letter said:

_Dear Hermione,_

_Life here at Number Four Privit Drive is, as like last summer, slow and boring compared to the wizard world. The high light of my summer is that my birthday is in a week and I have something to look forward too. Otherwise, I would just die of boredom. Dudley hasn't gotten any brighter or any thinner, if anything he is much, much wider than last summer and doesn't let us forget it's 'new muscle'. All I can do is sit and wait and hope that nothing bad will happen until September 1__st__. Aunt Petunia seems to be watching me closely this summer so I have to be extra careful. Gloomy eh? Well, I hope you are having a fun time in France and you are doing well. Say hi to your parents for me,_

_With love, Jess _

Jess sighed and carefully folded her letter up so not to smear the ink on the parchment. She looked over at what progress her twin had made on his letter. Harry was writing almost as fast as Hermione did when she was doing homework. He had several inches covered by this point and was working on finishing off the page. Jess moved over to look over her brother shoulder. The hand writing was just slightly sloppy from going so fast and Jess had to squint to make out the first paragraph.

_Dear Ron,_

_Hi, this is from Harry if you are wonder, which I know you're not so moving on from that subject. Three days ago I woke up to find that Aunt Petunia had tossed a bucket of icy cold water on me. It was ten in the morning and she was mad. Jess had been in the shower and apparently, according to my aunt, 'Had the proper jump on the day' well I was now supposed to wash all the windows upstairs while Jess got the much safer job of doing the windows downstairs. 'We'll see where that goes' is what I told her and she got so mad she made me do all the outdoor chores in the sweltering heat. The reason I hadn't woken up was because I was way too busy working on Hogwarts stuff the night before and had worked way too late. So I gloomily went down stairs and then was sent out to do the windows and that kind of stuff. The nerve was, we have scheduled times the shower is open and I wasn't going to be able to shower off for another day. And then the killing blow is that Jess had wet hair and got the indoor chores. I mean! I think they favor my sister. Nah just kidding. They hate us both. Well, that day went slowly and finally I got off. Me and Jess went on a walk in the evening and Jess said that she had caught some snippets of news. Well at least one good thing had come from that day. We got back and ate dinner then "went to sleep" but really stayed up and did out Defense Against the Dark Arts essay. We'll we found some good stuff in A History of Magic which was a really odd place to find stuff like that. Odd, well I don't spend much time worrying about where me and Jess get our info as long as we do and can succeed with flying colors at our tests. _

_The next few days went by normally enough except I had to do all the outdoor chores. Again. I don't have much to look forward to here except for eating meager amounts and washing windows. Not to mention garden tending. I also had to wash Uncle Vernon's car yesterday. No the wisest move. He yelled at me because I bumped it with my elbow. It's a new company car you see. And no Ron, it does not fly if you are wondering. All I keep my sights set on are three things, my thirteenth birthday, seeing you again, and September 1__st__ when we board the Hogwarts express. They've been keeping us under lock and key here and I can't wait until we can see you guys again. When that will be I don't know is the thing. I know we'll see you on September 1__st__, hopefully sooner. Until then, me and Jess miss you a lot and hope we can see you very, very, very, soon (Though no coming to rescue us please, that didn't go over well with our aunt and uncle)._

_Sincerely, Harry_

_P.S. Did Percy become Head Boy? I thought he might but I didn't know. And I'm sorry about Uncle Vernon yelling at you over the telephone. He doesn't like wizards but I think you figured that out by now. He doesn't want to meddle with us in fear of putting his family in danger._

The last part was scrawled so untidily that Jess could barely read it. She looked at Harry and he finished his letter. Jess chuckled and raised one eyebrow at him. "Favor me? I think not brother! They hate my guts!" she said. "Well, they gave you the inside chores!" Harry said in a frustrated tone. "Ah, yes, because my alarm went off, yours didn't" Jess reminded him. Harry shrugged and got up carefully folding the long letter to Ron. Jess took her folded letter and walked over to the loose floorboard that under her bed. There were two is what Harry and Jess had discovered. Jess pulled out a messenger bag full of folded and unfolded letters. An open one read:

_Dear Hermione,_

_Things are bad here and my summer is going terribly. I wish that-_

But the rest of the letter was covered by another folded letter. Jess sighed and slipped her latest letter into the sack and putting it back under the loose floor board. Jess knew this letter would never be sent though. Well, was she wrong about that? The opportunity came when Errol was leaving. Jess found the letter she had written only days ago and tied it to Errol's leg. Harry was sleeping soundly in his bed and didn't awake when Jess opened the window to let the owl out. The window latch made a clicking sound as Jess closed it again. Her first morning as thirteen! Excitement filled her. Not long before she was going back to Hogwarts. Her home. But something still tugged at the back of Jess's mind as she walked to the bathroom and splashed some water over her face. The permission slips about going to Hogsmeade. Jess ducked out of her and Harry's main sleeping room into a little side closet and dressed herself in different clothes for the day because she had slept in the ones she had worn yesterday. Sighing, not wanting to disturb her brother, but knowing she must Jess walked across the room and shook him. Harry blinked the sleep out of his eyes and looked at Jess. "We're thirteen" he said groggily. Jess grinned back. "Yep! We're thirteen!" she said.

Harry and Jess went down to breakfast later that morning to find the three Dursleys already sitting around the kitchen table. They were watching a brand-new television, a welcome-home-for-the-summer present for Dudley, who had been complaining loudly about the long walk between the fridge and the television in the living room. Dudley had spent most of the summer in the kitchen, his piggy little eyes fixed on the screen and his five chins wobbling as he ate continually. Jess, as usual gave the slightest snort in Dudley's presence. Harry and Jess sat down between Dudley and Uncle Vernon, a large, beefy man with very little neck and a lot of mustache. Jess watched her uncle carefully, she was thinking when best to ask him about the form. Far from wishing Harry or Jess a happy birthday, none of the Dursleys made any sign that they had noticed the twins had entered the room, but Harry and Jess were both far too used to this to care. Harry helped himself to a piece of toast and then looked up at the reporter on the television, who was halfway through a report on an escaped convict as Jess took a piece of toast too: "...The public is warned that Black is armed and extremely dangerous. A special hot line has been setup, and any sighting of Black should be reported immediately" "No need to tell us he's no good" snorted Uncle Vernon, staring over the top of his newspaper at the prisoner. "Look at the state of him, the filthy lay about! Look at his hair!" He shot a nasty look sideways at Harry and Jess, both whose untidy hair had always been a source of great annoyance to Uncle Vernon. Compared to the man on the television, however, whose gaunt face was surrounded by a matted, elbow-length tangle, Harry and Jess felt very well groomed indeed. The reporter had reappeared. "The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries will announce today –" "Hang on!" barked Uncle Vernon, staring furiously at the reporter. "You didn't tell us where that maniac's escaped from! What use is that? Lunatic could be coming up the street right now!" Aunt Petunia, who was bony and horse-faced, whipped around and peered intently out of the kitchen window. Jess snorted orange juice out her nose all over the table laughing. She took a napkin and wiped it up and looked at her aunt and uncle. "Coming up the drive right now?" she asked. "Are you crazy? What does _he_ want with this family. Oh Aunt Petunia! Give it a rest! You won't find any mass murderer coming up the drive looking for us!" But Harry knew Aunt Petunia would simply love to be the one to call the hot line number. She was the nosiest woman in the world and spent most of her life spying on the boring, law-abiding neighbors. "When will they learn" said Uncle Vernon, pounding the table with his large purple fist, "that hanging's the only way to deal with these people?" "Very true" said Aunt Petunia, who was still squinting into next door's runner beans. Jess frowned at her aunt and picked up another piece of toast to eat after cleaning up the orange juice completely. Uncle Vernon drained his teacup, glanced at his watch, and added, "I'd better be off in a minute, Petunia. Marge's train gets in at ten" Harry, whose thoughts had been upstairs with the Broomstick Servicing Kit, and Jess, whose thought were on what she would write next to Hermione about, were both brought back to earth with an unpleasant bump. "Aunt Marge?" Harry blurted out. "Sh-she's not coming here, is she?" Aunt Marge was Uncle Vernon's sister. Even though she was not a blood relative of Harry's or Jess's (whose mother had been Aunt Petunia's sister), they had been forced to call her "Aunt" all their lives. Aunt Marge lived in the country, in a house with a large garden, where she bred bulldogs. She didn't often stay at Privet Drive, because she couldn't bear to leave her precious dogs, but each of her visits stood out horribly vividly in Harry's and Jess's minds. At Dudley's fifth birthday party, Aunt Marge had whacked Harry around the shins with her walking stick to stop him from beating Dudley at musical statues. A few years later, she had turned up at Christmas with a computerized robot for Dudley and a box of dog biscuits for Jess. On her last visit, the year before Harry started at Hogwarts, Jess had accidentally trodden on the tail of her favorite dog. Ripper had chased Harry and Jess out into the garden and up a tree (Which had been a tight fit for the two of them), and Aunt Marge had refused to call him off until past midnight. The memory of this incident still brought tears of laughter to Dudley's eyes. "Marge'll be here for a week" Uncle Vernon snarled, "and while we're on the subject" -he pointed a fat finger threateningly at Harry and another at Jess-"we need to get a few things straight before I go and collect her "Dudley smirked and withdrew his gaze from the television. Watching Harry and Jess being bullied by Uncle Vernon was Dudley's favorite form of entertainment. "Firstly" growled Uncle Vernon, "you'll keep a civil tongue in your head when you're talking to Marge" "All right" said Jess, who was already one her forth piece of toast, bitterly, "if she does when she's talking to me" "Secondly, " said Uncle Vernon, acting as though he had not heard Harry's reply. "As Marge doesn't know anything about your abnormality, I don't want any-any funny stuff while she's here. You behave yourselves, got me?" "I will if she does, " said Harry and Jess said in unison through gritted teeth. "And thirdly" said Uncle Vernon, his mean little eyes now slits in his great purple face, "we've told Marge you attend St. Brutus's Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys and you attend St. Agatha's Secure School for Insecure Girls" "What?" Harry yelled. "You have to be kidding me" Jess screamed. "And you'll be sticking to that story, boy, girl, or there'll be trouble!" spat Uncle Vernon. Harry and Jess both just sat there, white-faced and furious, both staring at Uncle Vernon, hardly able to believe it. Aunt Marge coming for a weeklong visit-it was the worst birthday present the Dursleys had ever given them, including that pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks he had given Harry. "Well, Petunia" said Uncle Vernon, getting heavily to his feet, "I'll be off to the station, then. Want to come along for the ride, Dudders?" "No" said Dudley, whose attention had returned to the television now that Uncle Vernon, had finished threatening Harry and Jess. "Duddy's got to make himself smart for his auntie, " said Aunt Petunia. "I'm going to my room and staying there" Jess said coldly. She stood up and marched all the way up the stairs not bothering to push in her chair as she went. Harry stared after his sister. He hadn't seen her get this mad since… ever. "I'm going to go calm her down" Harry said getting up and climbing the stairs after her.

Jess was sitting cross legged on her bed her nose buried in a book. She didn't look up at Harry when he entered but kept reading. Harry could see one small tear track had made its way down her cheek. Harry had always looked to his sister for guidance because she was cleverer than most and a lot more witty but now Harry, once again, had to remind himself that his sister was just as old as he was and not as brave. He remembered how the two of them had gone through the sewer like passages to the Chamber of Secrets, trying to find Ginny, while Hermione laid petrified and Ron was trying to take care of Gildaroy Lockhart. Jess had been so scared. But he also remembered how she had been slammed across the room and pulled the sword of Gryffondor from the Sorting hat. He remembered how Jess had yelled in pain as a basilisk fang had sunken into her arm and nearly killed her. And would have if not for Faux the Phoenix. Harry thought further back to when Ron was lying unconscious on the floor of the chess room that McGonagall had enchanted and how Jess had looked like a pale eleven year old girl, not The Girl Who Lived. As Harry thought about this he walked across the room and sat down next to his sister. She finally looked up at him and crossed her arms. Harry could still see rage in her eyes. "What?" she asked impatiently. "Are you okay?" Harry asked carefully. "Am I okay?" Jess exploded. She stood up and began pacing furiously back and forth across the small room. "Am I okay?" she asked again. "I was just told that I was just told I had to be on my best behavior in front of a woman who gave dog biscuits! I was just told that I attended some fancy pants school! So am I okay? No! I am not okay! I'm angry!" "Sorry I asked" Harry said taken aback by Jess's sudden outburst of anger. "Are you okay?" Jess asked her voice suddenly deceptively sweet. "No" Harry said realizing how angry he was at his aunt and uncle right at that moment. Jess nodded. "I knew it" she said. _Scratch, scratch, scratch._ Jess and Harry both looked over at the window. Outside, Haily and Hedwig were perched on the sill. "I'll get it you owls. All the traffic we get we may as well put up a sign that says 'HEY LOOK VOLDAMORT! COME HERE! WE'RE THE POTTERS!'" Jess grumbled as she walked over and opened the window. Haily and Hedwig fluttered in and another owl. Errol. Again. How had he delivered the letter so fast? Hedwig landed with an indignant hoot. Haily wasn't far behind and Errol flew in and landed on Harry's bed. Harry was struck by a sudden idea. He grabbed a letter he had written a couple months ago and tied it to Errol's leg. Hedwig hooted again. "I am so sorry I can't use you! I am really sorry about that" Harry said -Hedwig's large amber eyes were reproachful-"it's not my fault. It's the only way I can speak per say with Ron and Hermione because I promised Uncle Vernon I wouldn't use you to send letters! I am really sorry!" Ten minutes later, Errol (who had a note to Ron bound to his leg), Hedwig and Haily soared out of the window and out of sight. Harry, now feeling thoroughly miserable, and alone, put both Hedwig's and Haily's empty cages away inside the wardrobe so they were out of the way. Jess and Harry didn't have long to brood though. In next to no time, Aunt Petunia was shrieking up the stairs for Harry and Jess to come down and get ready to welcome their guest. "Do something about your hair!" Aunt Petunia snapped as he and his twin reached the hall. "I'll cut all yours off Jess!" Harry or Jess couldn't see the point of trying to make either of their hair lie flat. Aunt Marge loved criticizing him, so the untidier they looked, the happier she would be. All too soon, there was a crunch of gravel outside as Uncle Vernon's car pulled back into the driveway, then the clunk of the car doors and footsteps on the garden path. "Get the door!" Aunt Petunia hissed at Jess. A feeling of great gloom in her stomach, Jess pulled the door open. On the threshold stood Aunt Marge. She was very like Uncle Vernon: large, beefy, and purple faced, she even had a mustache, though not as bushy as his. In one hand she held an enormous suitcase; and tucked under the other was an old and evil-tempered bulldog. "Where's my Dudders?" roared Aunt Marge. "Where's my neffypoo?" Dudley came waddling down the hall, his blond hair plastered flat to his fat head, a bow tie just visible under his many chins. Aunt Marge thrust the suitcase into Harry's stomach, knocking the wind out of him, seized Dudley in a tight one-armed hug, and planted a large kiss on his cheek. Harry and Jess knew perfectly well that Dudley only put up with Aunt Marge's hugs because he was well paid for it, and sure enough, when they broke apart, Dudley had a crisp twenty-pound note clutched in his fat fist. "Petunia!" shouted Aunt Marge, striding past Harry and Jess as though they were a hat stands. Aunt Marge and Aunt Petunia kissed, or rather; Aunt Marge bumped her large jaw against Aunt Petunia's bony cheek-bone. Uncle Vernon now came in, smiling jovially as he shut the door. "Tea, Marge?" he said. "And what will Ripper take?" "Ripper can have some tea out of my saucer" said Aunt Marge as they all proceeded into the kitchen, leaving Harry and Jess alone in the hall with the suitcase. But Harry and Jess weren't complaining; any excuse not to be with Aunt Marge was fine by them, so together they began to heave the case upstairs into the spare bedroom, taking as long as they could. By the time Harry and Jess got back to the kitchen, Aunt Marge had been supplied with tea and fruitcake, and Ripper was lapping noisily in the corner. Jess saw Aunt Petunia wince slightly as specks of tea and drool flecked her clean floor. Aunt Petunia hated animals. "Who's looking after the other dogs, Marge?" Uncle Vernon asked. "Oh, I've got Colonel Fubster managing them" boomed Aunt Marge. "He's retired now, good for him to have something to do. But I couldn't leave poor old Ripper. He pines if he's away from me" Ripper began to growl again as Harry and Jess sat down opposite Aunt Marge. This directed Aunt Marge's attention to Harry and Jess for the first time. "So!" she barked. "Still here, are you?" "Yes" said Harry and Jess in cold drab unison. "Don't you say yes' in that ungrateful tone" Aunt Marge growled. "It's good of Vernon and Petunia to keep you. Wouldn't have done it myself. You'd have gone straight to an orphanage if you'd been dumped on my doorstep" Harry and Jess were both bursting to say that he'd rather live in an orphanage than with the Dursleys, but the thought of the Hogsmeade form stopped both of them. Harry forced his face into a painful smile. "Don't you smirk at me!" boomed Aunt Marge. "I can see you haven't improved since I last saw you. I hoped school would knock some manners into you" She took a large gulp of tea, wiped her mustache, and said, "Where is it that you send him, again, Vernon?" "St. Brutus's" said Uncle Vernon promptly. "It's a first-rate institution for hopeless cases. ""I see, and the snotty little girl?" Aunt Marge asked. "St. Agatha's" Uncle Vernon was quick to reply. "Do they use the cane at St. Brutus's, boy? Or at St. Agatha's, girl?" she barked across the table at the twins. "Er -" Uncle Vernon nodded curtly behind Aunt Marge's back. "Yes" said Harry. Then, feeling he might as well do the thing properly, he added, "all the time. " "Ooh! Yes! They have beaten me loads of times at St. Agatha's!" Jess added for embellishment to make Aunt Marge happy. "Excellent, " said Aunt Marge. "I won't have this namby-pamby, wishy-washy nonsense about not hitting people who deserve it. A good thrashing is what's needed in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred. Have you been beaten often boy?" "Oh, yeah" said Harry, "loads of times like Jess" Aunt Marge narrowed her eyes. "I still don't like your tone, boy, and don't you start it girl" she said. "If you can speak of your beatings in that casual way, they clearly aren't hitting you hard enough. Petunia, I'd write if I were you. Make it clear that you approve the use of extreme force in this boy's case. And in the girl's case… Yes I think so. They need to make her more like a prober young lady!" Perhaps Uncle Vernon was worried that Harry and Jess might forget their bargain; in any case, he changed the subject abruptly. "Heard the news this morning, Marge? What about that escaped prisoner, eh?" As Aunt Marge started to make herself at home, Harry and Jess both caught themselves thinking almost longingly of life at number four without her. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia usually encouraged Harry and Jess to stay out of their way, which Harry and Jess were only too happy to do. Aunt Marge, on the other hand, wanted Harry and his sister under her eye at all times, so that she could boom out suggestions for their improvement. She delighted in comparing Harry with Dudley, and took huge pleasure in buying Dudley expensive presents while glaring at Harry and Jess, as though daring them to ask why they hadn't got a present too. She also kept throwing out dark hints about what made Harry and Jess such an unsatisfactory people. "You mustn't blame yourself for the way the boy's turned out, Vernon. I mean you can't help the girl with her messy hair and poor manners" she said over lunch on the third day. "If there's something rotten on the inside, there's nothing anyone can do about it" Harry and Jess tried to concentrate on their food, but both their hands shook and Harry's face was starting to burn with anger. Remember the form, he told himself Think about Hogsmeade. Don't say anything. Don't rise. Harry could hear Jess inhaling and exhaling slowly to keep herself from jumping up and use magic on Aunt Marge. Aunt Marge reached for her glass of wine. "It's one of the basic rules of breeding, " she said. "You see it all the time with dogs. If there's some-thing wrong with the mother, there'll be something wrong with the pup -" At that moment, the wineglass Aunt Marge was holding exploded in her hand. Shards of glass flew in every direction and Aunt Marge sputtered and blinked, her great ruddy face dripping. "Marge!" squealed Aunt Petunia. "Marge, are you all right?" "Not to worry" grunted Aunt Marge, mopping her face with her napkin. "Must have squeezed it too hard. Did the same thing at Colonel Fubster's the other day. No need to fuss, Petunia, I have a very firm grip..." But Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were both looking at Harry and Jess suspiciously, so Harry decided he'd better skip dessert and escape from the table as soon as he could. Jess gave her Aunt and Uncle an innocent look and followed Harry. Outside in the hall, Harry and Jess leaned against opposite walls, breathing deeply. It had been a long time since they'd lost control and made something explode. Harry and Jess couldn't afford to let it happen again. The Hogsmeade form wasn't the only thing at stake-if they carried on like that, they'd be in trouble with the Ministry of Magic. Harry and Jess were both still an underage wizard and witch, and they were forbidden by wizard law to do magic outside school. Harry's and Jess's records weren't exactly clean either. Only last summer they'd gotten an official warning that had stated quite clearly that if the Ministry got wind of any more magic in Privet Drive, Harry and Jess both would face expulsion from Hogwarts. Jess heard the Dursleys leaving the table and hurried upstairs out of the way, closely followed by her brother. Harry and Jess got through the next three days by forcing themselves to think about their Handbook of Do-It-Yourself Broom care whenever Aunt Marge started on them. This worked quite well, though it seemed to give both of them a glazed look, because Aunt Marge started voicing the opinion that they were mentally subnormal. At last, at long last, the final evening of Marge's stay arrived. Aunt Petunia cooked a fancy dinner and Uncle Vernon uncorked several bottles of wine. They got all the way through the soup and the salmon without a single mention of Harry's or Jess's faults; during the lemon meringue pie, Uncle Vernon bored them with a long talk about Grunnings, his drill-making company; then Aunt Petunia made coffee and Uncle Vernon brought out a bottle of brandy. "Can I tempt you, Marge?" Aunt Marge had already had quite a lot of wine. Her huge face was very red. "Just a small one, then" she chuckled. "A bit more than that... And a bit more... That's the ticket" Dudley was eating his fourth slice of pie. Aunt Petunia was sipping coffee with her little finger sticking out. Jess really wanted to disappear into her bedroom, but she met Uncle Vernon's angry little eyes and knew she would have to sit it out. "Aah" said Aunt Marge, smacking her lips and putting the empty brandy glass back down. "Excellent nosh, Petunia. It's normally just a fry-up for me of an evening, with twelve dogs to look after... " She burped richly and patted her great tweed stomach. "Pardon me. But I do like to see a healthy-sized boy" she went on, winking at Dudley. "You'll be a proper-sized man, Dudders, like your father. Yes, I'll have a spot more brandy, Vernon…" "Now, this one here -" She jerked her head at Harry, who felt his stomach clench. The Handbook, he thought quickly. He dared a glance at his sister who somehow was delicately cutting slices of her pie. Harry could see a little bead of perspiration was forming on her forehead. "This one's got a mean, runty look about him. You get that with dogs. I had Colonel Fubster drown one last year. Ratty little thing it was Weak. Underbred" Harry was trying to remember page twelve of his book: A Charm to Cure Reluctant Reversers. He felt his sister tense next to him as him sensing what Harry was feeling. "It all comes down to blood, as I was saying the other day. Bad blood will out. Now, I'm saying nothing against your family, Petunia" she patted Aunt Petunia's bony hand with her shovel like one "but your sister was a bad egg. They turn up in the best families. Then she ran off with a wastrel and here's the result right in front of us" Harry was staring at his plate, a funny ringing in his ears. Grasp your broom firmly by the tail, he thought. But he couldn't remember what came next. Aunt Marge's voice seemed to be boring into him like one of Uncle Vernon's drills. Jess reached out and grabbed Harry's wrist in warning. "Grasp the tip of the tail and hold tightly" she hissed into her twin's ear. "This Potter" said Aunt Marge loudly, seizing the brandy bottle and splashing more into her glass and over the tablecloth, "you never told me what he did?" Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were looking extremely tense. Dudley had even looked up from his pie to gape at his parents. "He-didn't work" said Uncle Vernon, with half a glance at Harry and Jess. He must've sensed that something bad was coming by the tense air. Jess's eyes were narrowed and she was rudely staring at Aunt Marge "Unemployed" "As I expected!" said Aunt Marge, taking a huge swig of brandy and wiping her chin on her sleeve. "An account, good-for-nothing, lazy scrounger who -" "He was not" said Jess suddenly. She was on her feet in two seconds. The table went very quiet. Harry was shaking all over in rage and stood up next to his sister. He had never felt so angry in his life. "MORE BRANDY!" yelled Uncle Vernon, who had gone very white. He emptied the bottle into Aunt Marge's glass. "You, boy and girl!" he snarled at Harry and Jess. "Go to bed, go on –" "No, Vernon" hiccupped Aunt Marge, holding up a hand, her tiny bloodshot eyes fixed on Jess's who was still on her feet glaring at the huge woman. "Go on, boy, go on girl. Proud of your parents, are you? They go and get themselves killed in a car crash drunk, I expect –" 'They didn't die in a car crash!" said Harry, who found himself on his feet. "They died in a car crash, you nasty little liar, and left you to be a burden on their decent, hardworking relatives!" screamed Aunt Marge, swelling with fury. "You are an insolent little –" But Aunt Marge suddenly stopped speaking. For a moment, it looked as though words had failed her. She seemed to be swelling with inexpressible anger-but the swelling didn't stop. Her great red, face started to expand, her tiny eyes bulged, and her mouth stretched too tightly for speech-next second, several buttons had just burst from her tweed jacket and pinged off the walls-she was inflating like a monstrous balloon, her stomach bursting free of her tweed waistband, each of her fingers blowing up like a salami -"MARGE!" yelled Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia together as Aunt Marge's whole body began to rise off her chair toward the ceiling. She was entirely round, now, like a vast life buoy with piggy eyes, and her hands and feet stuck out weirdly as she drifted up into the air, making apoplectic popping noises. Ripper came skidding into the room, barking madly. "NOOOOOOO!" Uncle Vernon seized one of Marge's feet and tried to pull her down again, but was almost lifted from the floor himself. A second later, Ripper leapt forward and sank his teeth into Uncle Vernon's leg. Harry and Jess tore from the dining room before anyone could stop them, heading for the cupboard under the stairs. The cupboard door burst magically open as Harry reached it. Jess right behind him. In seconds, he had heaved both their trunks into the hall and Jess had grabbed hers. It took them several more seconds to get to the front door. Harry sprinted upstairs and threw himself under the bed, wrenching up the loose floor-board, and grabbed the pillowcase full of their books and birthday presents. He wriggled out, seized Hedwig's empty cage in one hand and Haily's empty cage in the other after putting the other things under his arm and dashed back downstairs to the trunks, just as Uncle Vernon burst out of the dining room, his trouser leg in bloody tatters. And rammed into Jess knocking her to the floor hard.

"COME BACK IN HERE!" he bellowed. "COME BACK AND PUT HER RIGHT!" But a reckless rage had come over both Harry and Jess. Harry kicked his trunk open, pulled out his wand, and pointed it at Uncle Vernon. "She deserved it" Jess said from the ground, breathing very fast. "She deserved what she got. You keep away from me" Harry fumbled behind him for the latch on the door. "We're going" Harry said. "I and Jess have had enough" And in the next moment, he was out in the dark, quiet street, heaving his heavy trunk behind him, Hedwig's cage under his arm very closely followed by Jess and her trunk.


End file.
